Stray Bullet
by FireNymph9
Summary: Gokudera is all alone, having to overcome his daily tasks.. little does he know that fate is already working its way into his heart    Yamamoto x Gokudera fanfic! Don't like yaoi? Don't read! That simple.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, nor do I own any characters listed in the like. _Nothing is mine!_

**Warning: **Contains boy love.

**Rating: **T

**Fandom: **Yamamoto x Gokudera

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Chapter 1

The Long Walk Home

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Hayato Gokudera was in the best of moods today. It was Saturday afternoon, a little while after school had ended, when the gray haired male began to strut down the main streets for a walk. A lively grin was planted on his face as he traveled down the main streets at a brisk clip. So far that day, he'd aced all of his tests (which was no big problem - it was all natural to him, being at the top of the class), managed to avoid the _stupid cow_ Lambo, and even survive the sight of seeing his older sister in sunglasses.  
But in all respects of the word, this day was a _blessing_.  
Fate was on his side.  
But he dare not say anything lest he jinx himself.  
So Gokudera gripped his take out bag and began to walk home.  
Earlier that day, he'd stopped by Tsunayoshi's house, to see if he'd want some take out as well, but on the door was a note saying that they'd be out for the next couple of days. The Arcobaleno had accompanied them as well, so there was no point in staying. At that he was a bit miffed, not being told what was going on. He accepted it easily as "family vacation", meaning it was only Tsuna and his parents, and of course Reborn.  
Gokudera sighed, but still grinned as he watched the rapidly descending sun. He furrowed his eyebrows for a minute, then looked at his watch which blared "18:54". _Ah,_ he thought, _that's why the sun is so low_. Though the take-out had taken the restaurant forever to assemble, he'd still have time to make it home to watch his favorite programs.  
Gokudera gripped the bag happily, then smiled obscenely during the rest of his walk home.

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"I'm home..." he said, wedging the door open. The greeting was a habit, even though his two story home was always empty... something was off though.  
His front door had been locked when he left... maybe his sister was there? He hoped not, and quietly closed the door behind him, locking it. Maybe someone broke in? Gokudera shook his head. There'd be signs of a struggle if there were. His home was always well-armed against intruders.  
The code pad on the wall read "UNARMED", and he frowned. Someone with a key, and his password? His older sister didn't even know the code, since he changed it every other week.  
So it had to be someone he knew.  
Then he heard rustling in the kitchen, which gave Gokudera reason to go on the offense. He drew several sticks of dynamite, but then-  
"H-hold it, Gokudera! It's me," Hayato jolted. He knew that voice.  
A black haired, tan-skinned teenager made his way out into the open. He looked only a few months older than himself, and the grey-haired teen's eyes widened.  
"Yamamoto?" Gokudera yelled, pushing his bombs back into his vest, "What the hell are you doing here?"  
Takeshi laughed, then stepped out, holding his hands up in peace.  
But even in the low lighting, Hayato could tell something was wrong. He noticed it first by Yamamoto's hands. They were shaking, more than if he'd just come back from practice. The hands jittered, as though paralyzed from shock. Hayato then noticed that Yamamoto's sword was absent, meaning if he were attacked out in the open, he'd have no way to fight back.  
Gokudera nervously walked to the kitchen entrance, then flicked on the light switch there.  
As the light flickered on, Gokudera also noticed a difference in Yamamoto's eyes. Those shining blue eyes once held a sheen of undying passion, unmatched by anything else except training, and baseball.  
"S...sorry... about this," Takeshi said, his knees wobbling. The eyes, once rich and burning with fervent passion, were now faded, beaten, broken.  
"Wh-what are you..." Gokudera never finished, the other falling into him, knocking the two of them down.  
Yamamoto Takeshi, Vongola's Guardian of Rain, was unconscious.

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**TBC!**

**Rate&Review~**

**~Keiko A. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, nor do I own any characters listed in the like. _Nothing is mine!_

**Warning:**Contains boy love.

**Rating:**T

**Fandom:**Yamamoto x Gokudera

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Chapter 2

Bright Lights

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_So… dark…_  
Yamamoto groaned, his eyelids flicking open slightly. His eyesight was failing him.  
"Oi, Yamamoto," a voice called from the darkness. A hand was pushing at his shoulder roughly. "Awake yet?" they called out again.  
Yamamoto heard him, but found his surroundings too bright to deal with. He blinked again, but the light didn't fade.  
"The heck, baseball idiot!" his shoulder was being pushed again, this time harder. Mumbling from behind the voice was another set of words, too incomprehensible to be understood.  
"He's my friend Shamal-sensei. Leave me alone," the voice growled. The door opened once and the two left.  
_Yea, that was definitely Gokudera-kun._  
He didn't respond, and instead tried to get to his feet. Takeshi coughed a bit, then winced. His arm shot to his side instinctually.  
It was bandaged.  
He now understood his position.  
Takeshi Yamamoto sat up on his bed quickly and found the room silent. A mirror had been scrupulously placed on the opposite side of the room, revealing a disfigured mess on a gurney.  
A tawny muscled young man wearing a hospital gown was reflected in the image. He had crew-cut black hair that acted wildly on its own. That much was normal.  
However, the male's shoulder was tightly bandaged, and the slightest twist revealed bandages over his side. Each slight motion left him grimacing in pain.  
Both the boy's left and right hands were broken.  
The once clean-shaven face was now tattered and bandaged.  
His shiny hair was matted in several areas, where stitches had been made. The bandage that had been covering his right eye had fallen off from poor attention. Beneath it, a patch of revealing flesh pulsated, lurking dangerously close to his eyelids. He quickly covered it, his stomach starting to turn on itself from the sight.  
Yamamoto walked over to the mirror, gently placing a hand on the face that was staring back.  
The reflection was cold.  
He drew his hand back quickly, recoiling it into a fist.  
_That… really is me…_  
"Isn't it?" he finished, his voice suddenly shaking.  
Takeshi looked at the mirror in shock, placing his hands over where the other had bandages. The cloth was soft but retained some of its original rigidity.  
How long had he been here?  
He tried remembering back to what could have happened…  
But his memory was a blur.  
Yamamoto's head thrummed in pain. The shrill lighting of the room suddenly flowed into his vision, hitting his optical receptors in just the right way to cause a jolt of hot white agony to flow in his body.  
His mind convulsed under the silent pain, and he gripped his fist again.  
He looked at the mirror, wishing he could scream out, yell, drone out his misery.  
Yamamoto had no idea why he was here, but damn it all!  
He thrust his pitching fist into the mirror, crushing it with the direct pressure. Takeshi glared a the shards which fell on the floor, each tipped with a scarlet red.  
The sensitivity in his hand had returned but he ignored this pain because of the anger that was raging through his veins.  
The door slammed open, a Dr. Shamal rushing over, pulling back the boy. Hayato confronted Takeshi from the front, trying to divert his attention.  
Takeshi said nothing though, only spat at the trashcan, slightly growling.  
Hayato glared at his friend and took a minute to compose himself.  
"YAMAMOTO!" he yelled, catching Takeshi's glance. When he had looked over, Hayato swung back his hand and slapped Yamamoto's uninjured cheek. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"  
Yamamoto said nothing again.  
All words were lost on him.  
All he wanted now was to make the one who did this, to suffer just the way he did.  
He was pulled back into his bed, a nurse injecting muscle relaxants into his arm.  
Even when he became drowsy and fatigued, Takeshi never took his eyes off of the white haired hitman.

_Besides, there was someone he had to protect as well._

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Ok, this is also for The Dancing Queen whose review just got me realizing how much I haven't worked on this fanfiction! Sorry! X3

Updates will be more frequent~~~~ Promise~~~!

Reviews are greatly appreciated!

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**TBC**

**~Keiko A. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:**I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn, nor do I own any characters listed in the like. _Nothing is mine!_

**Warning:**Contains boy love.

**Rating:**T

**Fandom:**Yamamoto x Gokudera

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Chapter 3

Insomnia

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It had been several days since Yamamoto's outbreak when Gokudera visited him yet again. Though Yamamoto gave his comrade an odd look and asked for an explanation, the only one he was given was "I'll fail as the Tenth's right arm if I let his family get hurt when he's not here." That seemed to be one of the only things that Gokudera would say. Yamamoto was usually more chatty than this, but the shock of it all silenced him. Silent pressure always seemed to be present when the two were in the same room (sometimes Gokudera would take Yamamoto some lunch that was better than the hospital food, but only if he was in a good mood). An awkward silence. It lingered, filling the room with its presence. It was stifling when he didn't have a visitor, or even a nurse to come and check up on him. Even then, Yamamoto hadn't found a reason to speak. He had no idea when he would be released and the stench of medicine and peroxide pervaded his senses.

And as if that weren't enough, Yamamoto found out that he couldn't train for baseball for a couple of weeks until all his injuries healed. They were at such a delicate stage that it was very likely they could reopen, regardless of the skin grafts he had received. As he'd been told by the nurse on many occasions, "They're not absolute cures, only crutches." It felt like all he was getting were cheap answers whenever he had the nerve to speak up to anyone who walked by. Doctor Shamal had long since left (he hadn't been the one treating Yamamoto; he'd just been there chasing nurses when Gokudera had brought Yamamoto in) and there wasn't anyone that really wanted to talk to him. That, and he had no idea of how to explain his injuries to his dad. That confrontation in and of itself would be the most trying.

He couldn't lie now, not to his dad, especially when he'd gotten a slap to the face by reality. Yamamoto was a strong individual, as stubborn and relentless as the first Vongola Guardian of Rain.

But there would always be someone stronger.

That's what he couldn't get a grip on. He'd gone through all that training, and this opponent took him down so easily. Maybe the baby's training was for naught. Varia had taken the family into battle not only a few months ago, but still he'd been trumped by their swordsman. The man's scream rang in his ears whenever he thought of that person.

What made Yamamoto worry more was the waiting. He'd been bedridden for a few days (doctor's orders) and in the time he couldn't sleep, self doubting thoughts would rear their nasty heads into his almost tranquil state, turning him restless. The feelings and thoughts swum in his stomach, worming their way around until all he could do was reach for the medicine he'd been told to take, and hope that he'd fall asleep soon enough.

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Whenever he did manage to sleep, Yamamoto could only dream and dream of the night that had him put into the hospital.

_His day had started early in the morning. The skies were dyed brilliant pinks and yellows from the rising sun in the distance. The birds had begun to chirp, and the cicadas already began their jeering at the world that did not perch on trees. Yamamoto had woken up early that day to do some calisthenics for his baseball game that was coming up at the end of the week. He was pumped. It was a game against one of those other schools' teams who were rumored to be the best of the best. Not intimidated in the slightest, Yamamoto Takeshi continued to run the track around the park after stretching a bit. He'd run almost one and a half miles at a light jogging pace when he saw something in the distance. It was over by a patch of trees that was well known for hiding shady drug dealers. He could see the backs of several older kids hunched over a bit, as though observing something. Considering the reputation of kids these days, and the fact that he wasn't able to deny his curiosity, Yamamoto jogged straight over, a light sweat perspiring on his forehead. Surely he could take a few moments before school started to see what was going on. _

"_Hey there, mind if I ask what's going on?" Yamamoto smiled as he stopped behind one of them, he really was having a nice day already. If anything he just wanted to share the good feeling he had. _

_As he approached though, he saw that the figures were hooded, paying no mind to him as they began to kick and throttle their victim. The victim was a stray, gray haired cat, a mother from the looks of it. The kids turned their faces to see the teenager stand before them. He distinctly remembered one of them scowling, saying something in English. But he couldn't understand what was said. In any case, the good mood that he had before was gone. Yamamoto struggled to get them away from the cat, his soft spot for small animals kicking in. Once he had pushed past them, the cat looked up at the teenager as though asking, 'Why?' Yamamoto gave a sad smile, leaning over the cat as the teenagers tried to pull him off of the feline. He smelled alcohol in the air, and it was quite possible that those hypodermics on the ground weren't for show. Infuriated and intoxicated, the group began to redirect their anger towards the protective male, and began to kick and shove at him. The cat's green eyes lingered on the sight, but Yamamoto placed a hand on the cat's back, and then pushed her lightly towards the tree. She continued to stare back until realizing that this boy was setting her free and not on fire. With that, she dashed into the trees among her two small kittens. _

_In the meantime, once the cat had fled, the gang began to kick harder, shouting various obscenities. He was used to this. He'd had much worse. _

_One of their kicks caught him off balance though and pushed him to his back, coughing violently as they stomped on his chest and arms. Then… something happened. One of them stomped on both of Yamamoto's wrist, the shoe's shank holding them down as a hand pulled out a handgun, aiming at his head. A few of them spoke Japanese and from what he could hear amidst the adrenaline that was pumping past his ears, he could make out a few phrases. _

"_You know him?"_

"_Yea, he's that rival baseball star"_

"_That so? … Maybe the captain won't mind if we take care of him."_

"_They'd treat us like heroes."_

"_That settles it. Once we're done with him, we'll find that guy he's always hanging around. He's gotta have some connection to the baseball team."_

_The guy…? S_

_Startled at realizing they meant Gokudera, Yamamoto swallowed, and struggled against them. The teen grinned lopsidedly, and took the safety off before -_

And then Yamamoto would wake up, heart pounding in his chest, head thrumming and his body drenched in sweat. Tears would pour themselves out from his eyes in great volumes, and he would clench his fists, shaking terribly as the nurse attending him would rush in to calm him down. It took two nurses and muscle relaxants in order to lull him back into a tranquil state. He would quietly cry from the shock, and lay there until numbing, dreamless sleeps over took him again.

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Four days into treatment, Yamamoto Takeshi lay in his bed yet again, arms by his sides as he looked out the window. It had rained the night before and the small dew drops were falling silently off the overhang. Sunlight peeked through the blinds, creating a warm glow in the hospital room. Fall would be coming soon, and after that Winter, then Spring… but when he was here, he couldn't feel the heat of the sun hit his back, causing him to perspire as he usually would. No. Not then. He'd be in his air conditioned room that was always turned down too low for him, shivering and wishing that some person would finally get the sense to turn it off. This morning it was tolerable though, and since there was nothing that interested him on the television, he turned his thoughts back to memories of running and having fun with Tsunayoshi and Gokudera, back before they had to grow up. Back before they had to learn to fight with weapons. Before Yamamoto had been brought back down to Earth by all that had happened. Usually he would have laughed this all off, but there was still that pit in his stomach that kept him from doing so. It pained him; it gave him guilt and cause to spend his nights sleepless and awake. He was pretty sure that it wasn't the burn scars on his stomach that weren't the only reason for his inability to sleep. There were bags under his eyes, a restless mind to accompany it and a silent nature to wrap it all together. Yamamoto closed his eyes, sighing softly. _Am I really that weak? …. Or is it… _

He never finished the thought because his door opened for a moment, then closed once the visitor entered. Yamamoto opened his eyes a little, turning his head once more to see who it was this time. Bianchi and her terrible cooking? Shamal and his tales of chasing women around the world? Haru and another cosplay item? Or maybe this time it would be Mukuro who would stare at him silently while Ken made light of Yamamoto's situation.

"Baseball idiot, I brought you breakfast."

No, it wasn't any of them.

Gokudera held up a bag of food, giving it to him. Yamamoto looked at him for a moment, then responded.

"You didn't have to." Gokudera gave him another of his odd looks, still holding the bag out.

"Well…. what ever. I brought it. … So eat." Gokudera was never one for mincing words or for buttering someone up. It was both a blessing and a curse that his class mate was so stupendously blunt and precise.

Seeing as how he would probably not be able to argue with Gokudera in this situation, he relented and let the white haired teenager get out a tray and put out food for him.

Cup ramen.

A club soda.

Eggs and rice.

Miso soup.

Tea, even (though it was canned, but Yamamoto didn't care, it was still better than what they were serving at the hospital). It was an awful lot for a meal but, "I didn't bother asking what you wanted, because you still would've said 'I don't care, just anything works when I'm like this'." Gokudera was quoting him in a mocking tone. He scoffed a bit, watching Yamamoto start to eat his meal.

"…Something wrong with how I eat, Gokudera?" Yamamoto glanced up, no real emotions present on his face. He looked like a tattered up blank slate.

Gokudera was sitting down in the chair facing Yamamoto, leaning his head on a propped arm.

"Not with how you eat, baseball idiot."

Yamamoto paused for a minute, a little confused.

"Then why did you scoff?" He took a spoonful of miso soup, sipping it. After a long awkward pause, Gokudera said: "Its because of you." Yamamoto was silent for a moment, then put down the spoon, looking at him in a second glance of confusion. The very air between them seemed to crackle with anxiety before Gokudera decided to speak again. "What I'm saying, is that," he furrowed his eyebrows a bit, frowning in irritation, "this isn't the Yamamoto Takeshi that I know." Yamamoto frowned, even more confused.

"What are you talking about?" he said, looking into Gokudera's eyes, truly puzzled. Gokudera averted his eyes after a few seconds, shoving his hands into his pockets as he stood up. "….If you don't even understand that, there's no point in talking to you." With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving a bewildered Yamamoto Takeshi in the hospital bed.

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Seems like two weeks is the amount of time it takes me to write this decently, so an update should come up in about 1-2 weeks. Bai for now guys =D

And without further ado:

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**TBC**

**~Keiko A.**


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